Screen wobbles. No Blu-ray option. Needs a brake/lock for the screen tilt. Low-powered integrated graphics. A bit of bloatware.

Bottom Line

The Series 7 All-in-One PC (DP700A38-01), Samsung's first foray into desktops for the U.S., is a svelte all-in-one PC. It has one of the more innovative screens on any PC, but there are a couple of factors that keep it from beating the competition.

The Samsung Series 7 All-in-One PC (DP700A38-01) ($999.99 list at Best Buy) is a stunning desktop PC. With the Samsung logo on the back of its 16mm thick monitor, this PC rivals the Apple iMac as the svelte all-in-one desktop you'd want to have perched on your desk. It also has a seamless glass touch screen, making it one of the few all-in-one PCs that don't use the clunkier looking screens. Essentially, the screen is level with the bezel, so you can easily touch all parts of the screen all the way out to the edges. It's certainly fast enough and powerful enough to do most of the things that you'd expect from your primary PC. But is it as good as the leaders in the all-in-one space?

Design and Features
The DP700A38-01 has one of the most TV-like designs in the all-in-one PC space. It looks just like a 23-inch HDTV with a built-in DVD player. In some ways, this design dictates the planned usage: Since the screen has a 1,920-by-1,080 (true 1080p HD) resolution, it works great as an Internet TV. The screen is also as bright and as clear as Samsung's HDTVs. The desktop's screen is as thin or thinner than most HDTVs. The glass has a surface acoustic wave touch sensor that reacts more like the capacitive touch screen on tablets. The infrared touch sensors on older touch-screen PCs are less accurate and require the screen be surrounded by a raised bezel. The seamless touch screen on the DP700A38-01 makes it easier to touch points on the edges and corners (like the button for the Start Menu and close buttons).

The screen tilts from a vertical position backwards to a full 90-degree flat position. The 90-degree position is useful for touch games, particularly when two or more players are playing simultaneously. And while the display tilts smoothly enough, it has a bit of "bounce" to it when using the touch screen in a stationary position. It's disconcerting to see a premium product do this, but it's the effect of the single-hinge design. The hinge is simple, and holds the screen steady during most usage, but it has too little friction to keep the screen steady during touch sessions. Needless to say, you'll have to keep the display lying flat if you're going to be using the touch screen for an intense touch gaming session. Another nit would be the ergonomics on a flat-lying screen: You're likely going to be hunched over it.

The DP700A38-01 comes with a 1TB, 7,200rpm hard drive, which is plenty for most users (that's enough to store several hundred thousand digital pictures, for instance). The desktop also comes with a wireless keyboard and mouse. The keyboard slots in like a puzzle piece into an indent in the base of system's chassis, which lets you reclaim some room on your desk. The DP700A38-01 also comes with 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, which is pretty standard these days on desktops. The integrated speakers are adequate for home use, and come with software to optimize and tailor the audio to what you're listening to (music, movies, etc.).

It comes with four USB 2.0 ports in the back (one occupied by the receiver for the keyboard and mouse), plus one USB 3.0 port on the right side. The USB 3.0 port has a feature that allows you to charge electronics, like a smartphone or tablet, while the system is sleeping. Perhaps most significant are the two HDMI ports: one input and one output. The output port is useful for multi-monitor setups, where having two monitors simultaneously can increase your workflow. The HDMI input extends the life of the screen, so in the future, you can connect a laptop to it when the internals of the Series 7 become too slow; plus, you can use the HDMI input with a cable box or DVR for true TV on your PC. HDMI inputs have replaced built-in HDTV tuners as the "must-have" feature for PC/TV enthusiasts. That said, it would have been nice to at least have the option of a Blu-ray drive for those early adopters with extensive HD movie libraries.

The DP700A38-01 has a few programs pre-installed. The usual Office 2010 Starter is here, plus a 60-day trial to Norton Internet Security. A little bit of bloatware like Skype, Wild Tangent, and Kindle come pre-installed as well. Samsung's Touch Launcher program turns the DP700A38-01 screen into a tablet-like home screen. You can add any program from the Start menu or any shortcut from the desktop by dragging the program or shortcut icon into the little touch launcher folder for use in the touch interface. Touch Launcher also has a few widgets like weather and clock. It's not quite as comprehensive as the HP TouchSmart system found on the HP TouchSmart 610-1150y ($1,199.99 at Best Buy, 4.5 stars), but it is more immersive than the Dell Touch system that hangs over the Windows 7 OS on systems like the Dell Inspiron One 2305 (IO2305-4400ELS) ($799.99 list, 3 stars).
There is a row of touch-sensitive buttons on top of the optical drive: buttons for volume, screen brightness, screen on/off, source (HDMI/PC), power, and a shortcut button for the Touch Launcher programs. The last touch button is a menu button for the on-screen controls.

Best Buy also has an extended warranty program, which offers customers an extra year of protection beyond the one-year warranty of most system manufacturers. There are two plans in this extended warranty program. The standard plan ($119.99) covers the system against normal wear and tear, power surge damage, and includes a "No Lemon" guarantee in which Best Buy will simply replace the computer if it requires more than 4 repairs during the coverage period. Best Buy's advanced plan ($219.99) offers all this, and also covers the system against accidental damage from drops and spills.

Performance
The DP700A38-01 came with an Intel Core i3-2120T dual-core processor with Hyper-Threading and integrated Intel HD Graphics 2000 GPU. The desktop completed the Handbrake video encoder test in 2 minutes 5 seconds and the Photoshop CS5 test in 4:31. These are middling scores, but certainly adequate for a family's casual use. Systems like the Dell Inspiron 2305 (IO2305-4400ELS) are a bit faster (1:47 in Handbrake, 3:54 in CS5), but pale next to true quad-core processor like the Apple iMac 21.5-inch (Thunderbolt) ($1,199 list, 4.5 stars) that cut through these tests quickly (1:25 in Handbrake, 3:29 in CS5). The DP700A38-01's day-to-day performance is a little better than average, scoring 2,451 points in PCMark 7. In more subjective observations, the desktop played 1080p HD videos smoothly and the system's Touch Launcher interface was responsive.

The Samsung Series 7 (DP700A38-01) is a shot across the bow of the all-in-one class leaders, like the HP TouchSmart 610 and Apple iMac 21.5-inch. It has a beautiful screen and decent performance. It also has a few standard features that less expensive systems lack, primarily the HDMI ports and the 90-degree tilt screen. However, that touch screen isn't quite as usable as the one on the HP TouchSmart, primarily because the screen bounce that occurs when you use it. Basically, when the screen is any form of vertical (0-89 degreees), you'll want to use the Samsung's touchscreen sparingly. The HP TouchSmart 610's tilt is a lot more stable when using the touch screen, even if it "only" tilts to a 60-degree angle (which is totally usable from a seated or standing position). As long as you're not going to be using the touch screen as your primary interface, the Samsung Series 7 DP700A38-01 is a beautiful all-in-one.

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Joel Santo Domingo is the Lead Analyst for the Desktops team at PC Magazine Labs. He joined PC Magazine in 2000, after 7 years of IT work for companies large and small. His background includes managing mobile, desktop and network infrastructure on both the Macintosh and Windows platforms. Joel is proof that you can escape the retail grind: he wore a yellow polo shirt early in his tech career. Along the way Joel earned a BA in English Literature and an MBA in Information Technology...
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